This is especially true at the high school level, where the roster changes annually and turns over completely within four years.

It’s why winning a San Diego Section championship is a treasured moment.

Following is a look at six programs in the region that have current streaks of seven or more section titles:

Poway

Sport: wrestling.

Streak: 25 straight titles.

Notable: The streak of streaks. And it would be — should be? — 30 straight championships on the mat dating to 1982 but for the one taken away. In 1986, the Titans won the title by more than 100 points, but a Poway wrestler who finished third at the section finals was declared ineligible on a rule open to interpretation. That led to the team being disqualified (second-place Mount Miguel was given the title) by another rule that has since been changed. The controversy didn’t distract from Poway winning the first of what is now four state championships (1986, 1999, 2005, 2009).

Quotable: “It speaks to the longevity and the consistency and the perseverance,” said Wayne Branstetter, who begins his 34th season as Poway coach. “Especially perseverance. It’s a great trait. Anybody can have a blip on the radar. Have a great team one year and you don’t hear from them again.

“Winning over time, it speaks to a program. And from the bottom up it’s built on solid principles of goodness. It’s a pretty simple formula for success. Work hard. It’s not that complicated. But it’s hard to work that hard. It’s one thing to say it. It’s another thing to do it.”

Torrey Pines

Sport: girls tennis.

Streak: 21 straight titles.

Notable: Anne Meigs has coached the Falcons boys and girls teams for 28 years. She knows both sides of these streaks. In 1985, Meigs’ Torrey Pines boys team ended La Jolla’s section record 15-year winning streak. Said Meigs: “They were devastated. My guys were elated. You’re really beating the team that has won that year. That’s all.”

Quotable: “I tell the players I don’t really think of how long it’s been because each season is a different season, makes its own footprint and writes its own history,” said Meigs. “The accomplishments of the girls that are in the program for one, two, three or four years and what they bring to the program is what’s important.

“My biggest thing is that you represent the program well. You go out and compete to the best of your ability. … I don’t like to see excessive celebration when we win and I don’t expect to see an excessive expression of sorrow if we lose. Save it for the bus. And come and see me tomorrow and you’re still breathing. Life goes on.”

Carlsbad

Sport: boys water polo.

Streak: 8 straight titles.

Notable: Last season, Vista came about as close as a team can get to ending the streak. The Panthers scored with 20 seconds remaining in the Division I finals to tie the game, only to watch Carlsbad’s Rainer Sherwood score with 1.97 seconds remaining to give the Lancers a 10-9 victory.

Quotable: “The hardest thing is fighting complacency,” said J.B. Feaster, who was head coach at Sonora High in Orange County before coming to Carlsbad in 1996. “I became a head coach in 1988, and I didn’t win until 2003. So I know what it’s like not to win, and I don’t take it for granted, even after eight.

“You’ve got to keep pushing yourself to get better. But the guys on the team have come in here and they know nothing else. It’s sort of expected. But you can’t come in with that expectation. You need to know about all the hard work and everything that went into getting to this point.”

Oceanside

Sport: football.

Streak: 7 straight titles.

Notable: Oceanside’s 13 overall section football titles is far more than any other school. In fact, the seven straight streak alone would rank third, surpassed only by Vista (9) and El Camino (8) for total titles. Cathedral Catholic’s current four-year streak is as close as any school has come to winning seven in a row. Oceanside also has an unprecedented 17 straight semifinals appearances.

Quotable: “What’s the best thing? Consistency,” said Oceanside coach John Carroll. “There’s no question that sometimes you have to step back and say, ‘These things are not automatic. Winning seven straight is not automatic.’ That’s just uncharted territory for high school football in San Diego County. … When you reflect upon it, these are pretty incredible statistics and pretty incredible success and should be appreciated and celebrated.”

La Costa Canyon

Sport: girls volleyball.

Streak: 7 straight titles.

Notable: La Costa Canyon could extend its championship streak, but the Mavericks won’t be able to defend their Division I title. Enrollment losses have dropped LCC to Division II, where the biggest challengers are Bonita Vista, Westview and Canyon Crest. Interestingly enough, Division II champion Scripps Ranch added enrollment and has moved up to Division I.

Quotable: “Nobody wants to be the team that doesn’t keep the streak going,” said LCC coach Pat McDougall. “It’s the good kind of pressure. It’s the commitment to keep the tradition going and the privilege of winning going. It’s a motivator. It’s not oppressive at all like, ‘We’ve got to win. We’ve got to win.’ It motivates the kids. They don’t want to be the generation that doesn’t do it. It’s been a very positive influence for us.”

Hoover

Sport: badminton.

Streak: 7 straight titles.

Notable: Badminton is one sport where city schools still dominate. For whatever reason, schools in other areas of the county have not embraced the sport. Badminton has the fewest teams of any sport in the section, featuring two leagues with a total of 16 participating schools.

Quotable: “With the winning tradition you get a higher probability of getting kids to join,” said Hoover coach Vu Nguyen. “And with the tradition, they feel the pressure to win.

“The streak is from the hard work of the players playing throughout the year, not just during the season but also during the offseason. That’s the main thing right there.”

Karen Forman, a senior last year at Torrey Pines, was part of the Falcons’ 21st straight San Diego Section title.
— K.C. Alfred

Karen Forman, a senior last year at Torrey Pines, was part of the Falcons’ 21st straight San Diego Section title.
— K.C. Alfred